How we Helped a
Wi-Fi Device Manufacturer
Improve Their Market Reception

TP-Link Technologies is a global provider of networking devices and accessories for business and personal use. Ranked as a top provider of Wi-Fi devices, TP-Link manufactures and distributes its own internet connectivity products. TP-Link wanted us to help them build awareness to a Canada-wide audience online about a new mesh technology product offring stronger and broader coverage, built-in network security and compatibility with SMART home technologies. TP-Link wanted to raise brand awareness, especially among customers searching for mesh Wi-Fi products online, and stand out memorably among competitors.

With more consumers shopping online than ever before, manufacturers and retailers today are showing up side by side in search results and competing for the same customers. This can create tension among retailers and their suppliers. The course of action we recommended for TP-Link was to develop a shared customer journey through co-op digital advertising. Co-op agreements allow manufacturers and their retailers to share advertising costs while building brand awareness for both. The challenge with digital co-op campaigns is for manufacturers and retailers to not compete for the customer’s attention online as they're making purchase decisions. By helping TP-Link, as a manufacturer, focus on awareness and familiarity, their retailers could then nurture the consideration, purchase and loyalty stages of the customer journey.

For TP-Link’s digital campaign, we built a landing page using engaging branded content created by TP-Link. If customers found the information they were seeking (awareness, familiarity), they would click on “Buy Now.” Their intent to purchase was established, so they entered the retailer’s site and sales funnel to finish the purchase journey. If customers viewed the campaign landing page and then left, we retargeted them with digital ads designed to motivate them to visit the retailer’s site.

We focused our campaign performance analysis on awareness and familiarity. Our strategy centered around testing different messages and creative content to determine what customers would respond to at various stages. We built tools to communicate the campaign strategy to TP-Link, such as a user flow chart that visually displayed the customer journey stages and associated tactics and creative content.

Although this was strictly an awareness campaign, 1 out of 4 users from specific campaign channels still clicked through to the retailer’s site with intent to purchase. Not surprisingly for a Wi-Fi buying market, 90.7 percent of clicks and 74.5 percent of impressions came from mobile devices and tablets combined. We tracked and reported on how key campaign messages performed across various digital channels, and optimized for the top three by reallocating funds towards messaging and creative that resonated the most with the target audience.

The true value of this partnership was the insightful data we were able to access and use to get in front of audiences as they were making purchase decisions. We were able to show TP-Link which audiences were the most likely to click on an ad, from where, how long they stayed on the campaign site, and which paid channels led to the most conversions. Manufacturers today have a tremendous opportunity to refine their brand and key messaging for customers who first encounter their company or new product, by working with—and not competing against—their own retailers to promote awareness and familiarity of their products.